Alex continued the charade of knowing what they were talking about, grinning and nodding her head, while inside she seethed.
“Is this why you didn’t want to move to a table in the back?” she whispered to Cris, who nodded his head.
“Is he here alone?”
Cris shook his head, and wouldn’t look at her.
“I see,” she said to her brother, and then addressed Maddox and Rory. “Excuse me.” She slipped from her seat, and walked around the bar, toward the ladies room.
There was only one table in the back solely occupied, but clearly set for two. Alex didn’t recognize the woman waiting for Maddox to return.
Her shoulder-length, bottle-blonde hair was perfectly coiffed, and her dagger-length nails were polished bright orange. The white denim jeans she wore looked painted on, and the tan hue to her skin was obviously from a tube of self-tanner. Her cell phone rested on the table next to her place setting, and she was running her finger over it, as though she was reading messages.
Alex approached the table. “You look so familiar, but I can’t place where I know you from.”
“I doubt we know each other…” the woman began, but was abruptly interrupted by Maddox’s return.
“Alex.” He grinned. “Have you met Lena Hess?”
“No, I haven’t.” Alex leaned forward to shake the woman’s hand. When she presented a limp half-shake, Alex felt sick to her stomach. One of those.
Lena looked as uncomfortable as Alex felt. Her tan hue yellowed, and the look she gave Maddox screamed, get me out of here.
“I was just going to suggest we join you, Cris, and Rory,” Maddox said, “but I wanted to be sure I wasn’t interrupting anything.”
“No more than I’ve interrupted you.” Alex smirked.
“Good then. Lena?” Maddox put his hands on the back of her chair.
“Where are we going?” she stammered.
“Into the oyster bar,” Alex answered for Maddox. “My brother Cris, and my close friend Rory are waiting for us. Right, Maddox?”
“That’s right. Stormy moved your things from the bar to the table in the front window.”
“How thoughtful.” Alex spun around, letting them follow her wake. Whatever the hell Maddox Butler was up to, she’d make him feel damn uncomfortable while he was at it.
Maddox sat between the two women, soaking in the jealously seeping off Alex. It was obvious she didn’t know Rory Calder as well as she pretended she did, which he and Cris appeared to find equally amusing. Lena and Rory, however, made eye contact several times. They acted as though they didn’t know each other, but Maddox got the impression they were hiding the fact that they did.
“Were you aware Calder Wines purchased Tablas Creek?” Alex asked between spoonfuls of chowder.
“Congratulations,” Maddox said to Rory. “We’ll look forward to having a new member in the collaborative who understands the definition of the word.”
Conversation continued primarily between Rory and Maddox, whose singular goal appeared to be to get as much information as he could about his rival.
“How many hectares will you plant this year?” Rory countered.
“None.” Maddox took a big bite of garlic bread and turned to Alex. “We’ll be lucky to be ready next year. Right, Alex?”
“I have no idea, Maddox. What do you think, Lena?”
Lena’s yellow tinge grew greener. “That isn’t my concern.” She glared at Maddox. “Excuse me.” She dabbed her lips, while Maddox rose to get her chair.
When she stood, he leaned forward slightly as though he was inhaling her scent.
“Play nice,” Maddox whispered in Alex’s ear after Lena was out of hearing distance.
Alex ignored him. “Rory, did you have a chance to discuss scheduling a wine dinner when you saw Peyton?”
“She asked if I could stay in town tonight. She was going to see if you could come in for a brief meeting tomorrow.”
“Have you made arrangements for a place to stay?”
“I haven’t, and by the looks of the places I drove by on my way here, there aren’t a lot of vacancies.”
“Cris, are you planning to stay with me tonight?” She glanced to her left, and could see the smoke of anger coming out Maddox’s nostrils.
“Well, I…”
“Not a problem,” Maddox interrupted. “We have an apartment at the ranch that we keep for out of town guests. You can follow me back after dinner. We could even swing by Old Creek Road on our way.”
Rory jumped on Maddox’s offer, which left Alex steaming. “What about your date?”
Lena returned to the table just as Maddox was about to answer.
“Oh, honey.” Lena oozed. “I’m not his date, I’m his roommate.”
6
“Where did that come from?” Maddox asked Lena once they were in the parking lot.
“She was so territorial, I thought I’d dish it back at her. I hope I didn’t spoil anything between you. Although I noticed you didn’t hurry to dispel any misunderstanding.”
Maddox laughed. “Yeah,” he muttered, looking toward the door of the restaurant, “I’ll pay for that later.”
“Sorry—” Lena began.
“No apology necessary. As you said, I didn’t exactly try to clear things up for her.”
“I’m not really your roommate, I’m more of a tenant.”
“You take your time, I’m in no hurry.”
“You’re sweet, Maddox, and I appreciate this.”
He opened her door, and waited while she climbed into her pearl-white Mercedes CLS400 Coupe.
“Goodnight, Lena. We’ll chat tomorrow.” He closed the door before she could respond.
Maddox had a decision to make. Should he go back inside, in which case Alex would know he didn’t leave with Lena, or wait until Rory came out, who told him he’d be right behind them when he and Lena left?
He hated playing games with Alex, but it was the kind of thing they fell into easily. She should know he wouldn’t be out with another woman in the same way he knew she had no interest in Rory Calder. Rory, however, was a different story. The man drooled every time Alex spoke.
“Ready?” Rory hollered coming out the side door of the restaurant.
“Hang tight for a minute, I’ll be right out.” Maddox walked past him and back inside. He didn’t see Cris, but Alex was still at their table.
“Hey.” He leaned down and put his arm around her shoulders.
“Where’s your roommate? Got her motor running?”
“About that—”
“Save it, Maddox, I don’t give a shit what you do or who you do it with.”
“We both know you don’t mean that, darlin’.”
Out of the corner of his eye Maddox saw Cris stop and talk to Stormy at the bar, buying him a few more minutes.
“Cris staying at your place tonight?”
“No, he’s going to Los Cab.”
“Good, I’ll meet you there.”
“Where?”
“Your place.”
“What about Rory? I thought you two were going to bond over land purchases.”
“Nah. It’s almost dark. I’ll give him the gate code and let my parents know he’s on his way.”
“I’m tired, Maddox. Let’s do this another time.”
“I don’t know what you think we’re going to be doing, but I’m tired too, Alex.”
“Then go home.”
“Yeah, about that. I’m way too tired to drive all the way back to Adelaida Trail.”
“Old Creek Road is about ten miles closer, and your roommate probably has the bed turned down in anticipation of your arrival.”
Maddox leaned forward and covered Alex’s lips with his. The tip of her tongue teased his lower lip, so he gently bit down, capturing it between his teeth. She smirked as she pulled away from him.
“You hate staying at my place.”
“Is that what you think?”
“No, Maddox, it’s
what I know. You’ve said it often enough.”
“It’s growing on me.”
“Oh, really? When is the last time you stayed with me? Do you even remember?”
“Of course I do.” Maddox stood. “I’ll get Rory on his way, and then I’ll be back.”
“You don’t have to—”
Maddox walked away, but stopped at the bar and said something to Cris that Alex didn’t catch.
“I called up to Los Cab, so Mama’s expecting me shortly. Goodnight, Al.”
Alex stood. “Let’s get going then.”
“Maddox is taking you home.”
“What? No, you’re taking me home.”
“Not anymore.” Maddox stood next her. “See ya, Cris.”
She watched her brother walk away, and wave behind him. “See ya, Alex.”
“Ready?” Maddox pulled her chair out, and took her hand in his when she stood.
“What about Rory?”
“Sent him on his way.”
“I’d prefer to be alone tonight, Maddox.”
“No, you wouldn’t.”
“I’m serious.”
He smiled and held the door open for her. When she shivered, he put his jacket around her shoulders, and then helped her climb into his truck.
He drove the two blocks to her house, and pulled into her driveway. He parked and came around to open her door. She knew better than to open it herself. He’d scolded her for it so many times over the years.
“A lady waits for a gentleman to get her door, Alex,” he’d admonish. She teased him about it, but she loved it. The other men she dated never got her door.
“What are you up to?” she asked, digging for her keys. Where the hell had she put them? “Shit.”
“What?”
“I left my keys in Cristobal’s car.”
Maddox walked over to the flower pot where she left her spare key, and picked up the rock it was hidden under.
“How do you know where I keep my key?”
He walked past her, and unlocked the door.
“Mad, I asked you a question.”
“One I shouldn’t have to answer, but as I recall, you didn’t remember much else about that night.”
He held the door open and when she walked past him, leaned forward. “Did you, Alex?” he whispered.
She wanted to slam the door in his face, but he was too quick. He was already inside, looking in her refrigerator.
“What are you looking for? You just ate dinner.”
“Somethin’ to drink.” Maddox pulled out the bottle of wine she opened the night before. “Your favorite.” He smirked.
“Your favorite.”
“Come on, Alex, you love my rosé. Admit it.”
She did, and he was right. She loved its beautiful light coral hue, and its aromas of strawberry, watermelon, and guava which led perfectly into a palate imparting tropical fruits, fresh citrus, and a bright and crisp minerality. She could drink it every day, and never tire of it.
“Back to how I knew where you hide your spare key—”
Alex held up her hand. It wasn’t necessary to skip back down the lane of that memory. Wine festival weekend had been known to get the better of everyone at some point in their lives. That year was her turn. She had too much to drink, and too little to eat. Instead of risking her life or anyone else’s by attempting to drive home, she called Maddox. After that, she didn’t remember much, until the next morning when she woke up with the worst hangover she’d ever had.
“You don’t have to stay, Mad.”
He poured two glasses of wine, but set them both on the counter, and walked over to where she leaned up against it.
“Let me see.” He tugged on her shirt and gently pulled it out from where it was tucked into her jeans.
“You can’t see it.”
“Of course I can.”
Maddox unfastened her jeans, and slid them off her hips along with her panties. When they fell to her ankles, he knelt in front her, raised her feet, one by one, and tossed her clothes aside.
He leaned forward and sprinkled kisses across her belly, right above the scar that ran along her bikini line.
“Does it hurt?”
“Only when someone kisses it.” She smiled.
“Who else has been kissing your scar, Al?” he asked as his lips trailed down to her thigh. “You’re bare, darlin’.”
“For the surgery,” she whispered.
“I like it.”
Alex rested her hands on Mad’s shoulders. It was becoming increasingly more difficult for her to hold her own body weight the further his tongue explored.
Maddox stood, and took her hand. “Come with me.”
Her bedroom was a wreck, like it always was, but this was Maddox. He knew her, and didn’t give a shit what her room looked like.
“Over here, baby.” Mad opened the door and led her to the unmade bed. He threw back the tangled mess of sheets and blankets, and patted where he wanted her. When she rested flat on the mattress, he fluffed a pillow and put it under her head.
Each button on her shirt was a barrier to her skin that he released slowly, one by one. When it hung open, he pulled the cups of her bra down, so her breasts spilled over.
Alex mewled softly, the way she always did when he had his hands on her body.
Her stomach was concave, pelvic bones protruding, which meant she wasn’t eating enough. For twenty years he watched her body mature—he knew every nuance.
The pale, strawberry-shaped birthmark on her inner thigh drew him in, and he trailed kisses across her sex. In all those years, Alex had never been bare. This was new skin for him to explore and learn.
He hated the angry red slash that marked her, not because of the way it looked, but because of the pain it gave.
“Sweet baby,” he murmured, keeping his touch soft, his kisses light. Tonight wouldn’t be about sex, instead he would nurture her, something Alex normally resisted. Her pain, her weariness, her insecurity, left her vulnerable enough that he could do this without her protests. He could be gentle with her, even though they both preferred a little edge to their sex.
“Close your eyes, Al. Relax. Let me love on you a little.”
Her muscles tensed at the mention of the word they both refrained from using, but then released as his fingers kneaded her flesh.
When Brodie called to tell Maddox that they’d taken Alex to the hospital, he thought she’d lost their baby. Their baby. He’d gone from the guy who wasn’t sure he’d ever marry, doubted he’d have kids, to the father of Alex’s baby.
In the last four days, he found himself daydreaming about being a dad. When he found out Kade left him the property on Old Creek Road, he let his thoughts drift to the home he’d build for him, Alex, and their children.
He kissed her belly, where his child would’ve been, and then up to her breasts. He’d already imagined how Alex would look breastfeeding their baby.
The thing that sucked the most, was he couldn’t tell Alex any of this. She’d freak, and be more distant than she was the last few days.
It was unusual for Maddox to pursue Alex. She was the one who walked away, and she was the one who decided when she was ready to come back.
She had to have been thrown when he told her he was bringing her back here and spending the night. It was completely out of character for him. He knew instinctively that if Alex ever thought she had the upper hand, she’d lose interest in him completely. It was his remoteness, his strength, his steadfastness that kept her coming back.
The upper hand. When Brodie was trying to figure out his shit with Peyton, he told Maddox that he’d never been in a relationship with a woman who had the upper hand. Maddox told him that was his first mistake, thinking there was an upper hand. But there was with him and Alex.
She was as confident as she was sheltered. Or because of it. The first word he thought of with Alex was fierce, although it was a close call between fierce and beautiful. And alluring. Captivating. Maddenin
g. Fascinating and sublime. She was all of those things equally.
Alex was also timid, insecure, and filled with self-doubt. No one saw that side of her, not even Peyton. The bravado she showed the world masked what Maddox knew lay beneath. She needed someone stronger than her to feel safe in that persona.
The mistake so many made with people they considered strong was assuming they wouldn’t feel the same kind of pain a person with more transparent feelings would. It couldn’t be further from the truth. The strong just held it inside better.
When his father answered the door last year, and they were told Kade had been killed in action, Maddox had to get as far away from people as he could. He went out on the land, and roamed until he couldn’t see light from any house. He sat on a rock, and cried for his brother. He still did, but only out where no one could see or hear him. That was when he would rail at the heavens for taking Kade away from him—the one man Maddox knew was stronger than he was.
Alex’s breathing evened, she’d drifted off to sleep. Maddox crept up the mattress so his body was next to hers. She turned in her sleep and they spooned, her favorite way to sleep. Alex could sleep with her back to him, because she trusted him to always keep her safe, even though she’d never admit it out loud.
Tree branches brushing against the bedroom window woke Alex, but it was the howling wind that kept her awake―that and Maddox being in her bed.
They hadn’t talked about the pregnancy false alarm since her first day in the hospital. There were times she wanted to ask if he was relieved, but couldn’t risk it. If he said he was, she might break down in front of him, and then he’d know her secret.
She’d wanted the baby that wasn’t there. No one knew how badly, and no one ever would. Now she only felt an emptiness nothing could fill.
Why had she let herself think about a life with Maddox—having his child, telling him she loved him, and hearing him say it back to her? They’d never said those words, and now, they never would.
It was time to end things for good. They couldn’t keep coming back to one another, only to leave again. As long as they were on and off and on again, they wouldn’t meet someone else, fall in love, and finally grow up.
The Truce (Butler Ranch Book 2) Page 6
